Small bowel obstruction
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Small bowel obstruction
- Features of small bowel obstruction include the central position of gas-filled and distended loops of bowel.
- The white lines passing across the full width of the bowel are 'valvulae conniventes' - these are only found in the small bowel.
Small bowel obstruction
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Small bowel obstruction
- The clinical history will often give a clue to the cause of obstruction.
- Abdominal X-rays sometimes provide evidence of the cause of obstruction, as in this patient who had a history of previous surgery (cholecystectomy). Adhesions were found at time of surgery.
Small bowel obstruction?
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Small bowel obstruction?
- This image demonstrates distention of gas-filled loops of small bowel. This does not necessarily mean that the obstruction is in the small bowel.
- In this patient a colonic mass was found to be obstructing the proximal large bowel.
- Much of the small bowel is not visible in this image because it contains fluid and not gas.